Wednesday, September 25, 2013

We have been having beautiful weather this week, so being that today is my day off, I spent a lot of time outdoors.

First, I rode my bike to the library and back.

Then, I rode my bike to the grocery store and back (it's only like a mile away, but I'm always impressed when I can bring my whole purchase back on my bike, including a bag of apples and a gallon of milk, or a 24 pack of toilet paper).

Then, I decided to go all out and ride my bike to Lake Calhoun, rented a kayak for a couple hours, and explored the Chain of Lakes from boat.

I had a great time! I saw geese, ducks, seagulls, a weasel, a couple of hawks, fishes, and a young woman paddleboarding in wedges fall off her board. Oh, wildlife! (Why would you wear wedges paddleboarding?)

I also ate an apple (one of the things about fall that I love!) in a low-waste way. Instead of eating around the core, just eat the apple from the bottom, and there is no core! You have only the stem and the seeds left over (I ate the seeds, too! Hope I don't get an apple tree growing in me!). Much less of a hassle than holding on to the gross, brown, sticky core until you can find a garbage can.

Anyway, after my kayak trip, I decided to take the long way home, and biked south around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet, and east along Minnehaha creek, past Lake Nokomis to the Mississippi, and I followed the Mississippi back north until I got back to the greenway and Hiawatha bike trails. It was a nice 15 mile trip, and my phone tells me I averaged 12.1 miles per hour, but that also includes red lights and a couple water breaks and a stop to turn my lights on, so I think I am faster than 12 mph.

All in all, I got a lot of exercise today. The downside is that I only did a couple minor chores today. At least I am being healthy in my procrastinating from cleaning my house, right?